Neeson dropped out because he felt he was too old to play the part. He is only a few years older than Lincoln was when he died but the film is supposed to document his rise to politics as well as the Civil War. Daniel Day-Lewis is a couple years younger than Lincoln before death. He certainly does look younger, though. I thought DDL was still in his 40s.

EW.com has an interesting side-by-side slideshow of the actors and their historical counterparts.

Now filming in Virginia, Steven Spielberg has added another cast member to the extensive ensemble that is his Lincoln. Variety is reporting that Jared Harris has joined the project as Ulysses S. Grant.

Based on the best-selling book, "Team of Rivals," by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin (who also adapted the script with Tony Kushner), the story focuses on the life of the former President, focusing on the man's rise to politics and his role in the Civil War. Daniel Day-Lewis is taking on the role of Lincoln with Sally Field playing his wife, Mary Todd. A release is tentatively scheduled for sometime in late 2012.

Grant served under Lincoln in the Civil War and became the 18th President after Lincoln's own Vice President, Andrew Johnson. Harris is best known for his role on AMC's "Mad Men," but can soon be seen as Professor Moriarty in the upcoming Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.